You Deserve Love
by emrosee77
Summary: Emily and Aaron are having some issues with each other, but when they find themselves in the hands of a brutal unsub, will Hotch be able to save the woman he realizes he loves?  will anything ever be the same? story way better than the summary...
1. Awkward

**This is my first Hotch/Prentiss fanfic, and I really hope you enjoy! I love this pairing and I know a lot of you do too, soooo… H/P forever =) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters =(**

Penelope Garcia tapped a pink pen on her desk in time with the clock on her wall. She stared at three case files, wondering how J.J. possibly did this. How she chose who to help.

_Alright, one case with one murder, probably not a serial, so goodbye._

She slid the folder over to the side, creating tightness in her stomach, which happened whenever she decided to turn a case away. She felt as though she was giving up on them and saying to a grieving mother, "Oh well your daughter isn't important enough, so we won't bother to find her killer." Thinking about this made her want to snatch the folder back. This was so hard.

Penelope sighed a deep frustrating sigh, then grabbed the folders, putting them in a pile in front of her. She stood up and left her cave with the cases clutched to her chest, and her heels clicking. She traveled down the catwalk, down to the bullpen, and to Derek Morgan's desk with a determined, and slightly impatient stride. To her dismay, her love and life was not there. Glancing over the cubicle divider, she saw Emily Prentiss, the dark haired, bad ass agent she had come to love through the years.

"Hey, Em, have you seen Morgan?"

"Yeah, he went out to get something from his car, he should be back soon. Can I help with anything?"

Desperate, Garcia shuffle over to Emily's desk, and tossed the case files in front of her.

"Help.", she said giving a distressed look.

Prentiss smiled and began rifling through the mass of papers.

"Well, this one has only one murder, and the wounds point it to it being personal, so it was probably revenge, or anger, and it probably won't happen again, and this one does have three murders, but all of the victims are in the same gang, so I am guessing initiation or just your run of the mill gang violence, but this one, four murders, two couples, from different areas, both wives tortured and mutilated, and the husband were just shot, I believe the unsub gets off by seeing the husbands react to the wives being hurt, and since that's the only was he gets off, he will continue killing, and that means we should go with this one."

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

"What you just did, decide so easily? It takes me all day to figure it out."

"You'll get better, you just have to look at it like a profiler"

"But I'm not a profiler, you are"

"And I'm here to help, PG you are doing a fantastic job, more that anyone ever expected from you, don't get down on yourself."

Derek Morgan then walked on to the conversation.

"Hey baby girl, do you need anything?"

"Nope, Prentiss helped me, it's all good my sweet." She placed a manicured hand on Derek's tense shoulder, "Conference room in five."

She confidently strutted out of the bullpen, leaving Morgan with a little Garcia whiplash. He looked at Prentiss who was gathering her things for the briefing.

"What did she need?"

Prentiss stared up at the confused agent, "oh, just a little help deciding on the next case."

"Oh." He piped, as he traveled back to his desk.

Penelope, back to her uppity and enthusiastic self, stood in front of the large table. She looked at the agents surrounding the table. The neat, clean and poker straight, Agent Hotchner, who was already reviewing the case file, stoned- faced. Next to him was Agent Rossi, who seemed in his usual, relaxed- but- professional mood. Then came a disheveled Agent Reid who was fumbling with a pen that he had taken apart for whatever reason. Then Agent Prentiss who sat glaring at the unopened case file, but looked up to give Penelope a warm smile. And lastly, the handsome Agent Morgan who's thick eyebrows were furled, creating a harsh scowl as he read the file.

"Alright!" Garcia began the briefing, as everyone's head snapped up an attention.

"Two married couples were kidnapped and murdered in two different cities in Ohio. Doris and Lionel Savage were taken from their home in Shaker Heights, and found eleven days later in Bentleyville, Ohio. Doris was covered in bruises, scrapes, and various defensive wounds, and there were signs of sexual assault, cause of death was a stab to the chest. The husband on the other hand only had bruises around the wrists and ankles, and one gunshot wound to the head."

Garcia winced at the thought, and moved on to the next details.

"Three days after the Savages were dumped, Richard and Kathleen Morris were abducted in a sports bar parking lot, in Sever Hills, late Sunday night after watching the game. They also lived in Sever Hills and worked there. Their bodies turned up with the same wounds and causes of death in Mayfield Heights thirteen days later."

"Well he's keeping them a long time." Rossi illuminated.

"Enough time for the husband to break down from the wife's battery." Prentiss added, going with her theory.

"I agree with Prentiss" stated Agent Morgan.

Hotchner simply said, "Let's not jump to conclusions. Be on the jet in fifteen." without even glancing up.

He fled the room, as did the team, to tell the truth a little muddled by Hotch's actions.

They all made it on the jet, with the absence of Penelope Garcia, who was happily tucked in her cave again. The team was surprisingly silent, Reid, obviously flipping through some obscure book that no one had heard of, Morgan, listening to his iPod, dazed in some other place, Rossi, playing with something on his new, fancy, smart phone, Hotch staring straight ahead, and Prentiss, staring at Hotch.

"We should be there soon" supplied Reid, closing his book, and shattering the silence. The team began breaking from their trances and started prepared to land.

When the jet had landed and all the members of the team strode toward their black SUV's. Hotch walked toward the first car, Prentiss following behind, until he called,

"Morgan, ride with me and Reid, Rossi, and Prentiss, ride in the other car."

Prentiss stopped, confused, but obeyed her leader. She then climbed into the second car, next to Rossi, leaving Reid in the back. She thought about why Hotch was acting this way toward her. It wasn't the first time it happened either, just the other day she had walked up next to him as he was making coffee, and he left his half-made cup in the counter, and just left without a word. Then after that she walked by him on the catwalk, greeting him with a "good morning" but he picked up his pace and walked away, passing his destination, again without a word.

"Hey, Prentiss, you alright?", Rossi had kindly asked, as she was thinking.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just um, tired I guess" she stuttered, blinking rapidly.

He nodded and continued to drive as Reid looked at both of them, sensing the undeniable awkwardness, that he actually wasn't the cause of.

In the other car, Hotch remained silent.

"You okay?" Morgan prompted.

"Yeah. Fine."

"Your just seem a little-"

"I'm fine Morgan." He cut him off sternly.

Derek quickly shut up and stared at the road ahead. This was going to be a long ride.


	2. What's wrong with me?

**This is chapter two of my fic, and I know you all are going to want to kick Hotch in the shins after this. Don't own criminal minds!**

Upon arrival at the station, the team still felt quite a bit awkward.

"Hello, I am Agent Hotchner, Unit Chief of the FBI's behavioral analysis unit. We are here for the Savage/Morris case."

The officer nodded at Hotchner's directness, and led them into a back room stocked with needed materials. The team looked to Hotchner for directions.

"Reid, I want you to map out a geographical profile, Prentiss, look at the bodies, Rossi, go to the dump site of the Savages, Morgan, go to the dump site of the Morris', and I will go to the abduction sites. I know we are a little spread out, but I trust you to work alone. We will gather back here and discuss the findings and begin a preliminary profile. Move out.

They all left the room, with the exception of Reid, and began working on their tasks.

Hours later, the team assembled back in the room, and shared their findings. Reid took the lead, strolling over to the large map with a black marker.

"The four sites, Shaker Heights, Mayfield Heights, Sever Hills, and Bentleyville, create a quadrilateral around a few cities such as Woodmere, Pepper Pike, Maple Heights, Garfield Heights, and North Randall. This is his comfort zone." He said, connecting the cities with a thick black line.

Prentiss looked at Hotch, "Would you like me to go next?"

"Actually I'd like to hear what Morgan would like to say. Morgan?"

Emily simply stayed quiet. She felt her cheeks warm with the onset of embarrassment and the initial surprise, but when she thought about it, she wasn't all that astonished at his actions.

Morgan stayed silent for a moment, feeling quite awkward again, then began to relay his findings.

"Yeah, um, the dumpsite of the Morris' was off route 20 in Mayfield heights, high traffic area, but where the bodies were, they could not be seen from the road, but a driver would have to have seen the man carrying the bodies, which he probably did one at a time. So he had to have his car parked on the shoulder to get the bodies where they were. I don't see how no one saw him dumping the bodies. How about the other site Rossi?"

"Similar findings, except there isn't really a major highway that runs through Bentleyville, so he dumped them on the side of a high traffic road where drivers could not see them, but he also would have had to park on the shoulder in order to dump the bodies, yet no one saw him there either."

The room fell silent again, until Hotch spoke in a stern manner, "Prentiss."

"The bodies were practically identical in wounds. Both women had major bruising on their back, and one of their feet were broken, and various cuts and scrapes on all parts on the body. There was sexual assault on both women and something we didn't know before was that they were forced to swallow her, and her husband's wedding rings. The men had bruising on the wrists and ankles, so they were obviously restrained, and there were no signs of any other abuse. They were fed through an IV and they kept their clothes on. The mortician believes the husband died one day after the wife did, and they were both killed by a bullet through the left temple."

Hotch did not look pleased, "Okay, I guess that's a little more than we knew before." He turned away from Prentiss, and began communicating his findings. "The Savage house…"

As Hotch went on, Prentiss could not help but drift off into a different thought.

_Why is he acting this way? Why does he find the need to point me out, or leave me behind on purpose. He's treating me like I don't even matter to this team, like I'm someone who deserves to be embarrassed. It's not fair. Does anyone else notice? Is it just me? Why does he make a point to not look or talk to me. What did I do wrong?_

"…so, I think we should begin a profile."

The team began spitting out the bits of information that they knew and could connect to the profile.

"Well we know it's a man…"

"And we know we has to have a van or a truck that can carry two bodies…"

"He has to be strong enough to take down another man, and Lionel and Richard both were large men, in good physical shape, and neither of them were drugged, so they had to be knocked out or just thrown in the car."

"That doesn't make sense. Neither man had any defensive wounds, or had any head injuries besides the gunshot wound. How did he get a hold of them?"

"They could have consumed something that knocked them out, or inhaled something."

"Nothing was found in the medical reports, so it would have had to be something non- traceable. Get Garcia on the phone"

Morgan reached for his cell phone and fished it out of his pocket, then after pressing a few buttons, placed it on the table.

"You have reached the wizarding wonder of all things techy, how may I be of service?"

"Hey baby girl, I need a list of things that you can inhale that can knock you out for a few hours but cannot be traced on a toxicology report."

"Um, sugar, that's a lot of things, do you think that is how he gets them in his car?"

"Maybe, it's certainly a possibility. That's all, thanks"

The screen went dark, and the room fell quiet yet again, until an officer burst into the room.

"Another couple was taken off of interstate 90 in Euclid. They stopped to fix a blown tire and were abducted."

Hotchner ordered the team to get into the SUV's and head to the abduction site. He was quite frantic as the unsub's cooling off period was getting shorter. It had only been two days since the previous dump, not three like the previous one. The team headed out, all but one of them clear minded. Prentiss still felt uncomfortable, even more so that he had seemed to be staying as far away from Prentiss and he possibly could.

_What's wrong with me?_


	3. Realization

The team investigated the abduction site, and seemed to find a disappointing nothing.

"All that's here is their car. No blood, no sign of defense. All we got are their names and where they live." Morgan shouted over to the rest of the team, holding up the victim's driver's license.

_Alexander Clifton_

Prentiss was on the other side of the car, not surprisingly, far away from Hotch. She looked around the car, hunching her shoulders and bending her neck into uncomfortable positions until she saw a small piece of what seemed to be a paper towel. Bending her knees, she picked it up with her rubber glove clad fingers and brought it closer to her face. She then smelled a sharp, sweet odor that she had never sensed before. She placed her free hand on her knee and pushed herself into the standing position, then began to walk over to Reid.

"Do you know what this is?"

"A paper towel?"

Prentiss made a face and brought the white segment closer to him.

"Oh, I get it" he scrunched his nose up and merely said, "Get it tested."

That small little sector of tissue was the only thing meaningful they found at the scene, but Hotch didn't even take notice. He seemed distant, not the razor blade he usually was. And, Emily was not as coherent as she usually was, because all she kept thinking about was Hotch.

This seemingly unconnected chain of events was actually a whole big circle, and Hotch was to blame, or as a matter of fact, it could be Emily's fault. What was going on would be a surprise to everyone, but the hard-ass Aaron Hotchner was in love. In love with Agent Emily Prentiss. All he could think about was her, and he wasn't the best at communicating his feelings, especially when it violated protocol. But every day he would walk into work and see her dark hair, and her soft skin, and her pretty smile. And according to him, it wasn't fair. So he decided to ignore it. That of course wasn't working out too well. When she would walk up to him, like that morning when he was on the catwalk, she said "Good morning!" in a sweet, melodic voice, that he couldn't get out of his mind. He even passed up his office, but he didn't care, his mind was too busy to think about anything but her. Now he could see that she was getting discouraged at his readiness to ignore her. Would he lose her forever? Did he even have her?

Emily herself of course, was oblivious to the fact that her unit chief might actually love her. That thought never crossed her mind. She was still thinking that she did something wrong, but she tried to be level- headed and stayed focused on the case. She felt like a little kid whose friend was ignoring her. She started to believe that she was making too big a deal out of this. No one else really noticed, only Rossi saw that she was a little distant, but he shook it right off. Maybe it was all in her head.

_Some profiler I am._

The team was back at the station, and Garcia was chirping through the webcam about the latest finds.

"Alright, well, the latest to be kidnapped was the happy couple of newlyweds, Alexander and Gia Clifton who lived in Pardia, Ohio, and recently got married and bought the used car they were driving in. They were supposed to be on their way to a party at Gia's cousin's house when they got a flat. Gia's cousin said that Gia called them at four thirty, and the police were notified of the car at four forty eight. Also the piece of paper towel that our dear Prentiss had found was saturated in 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, which can leave you unconscious if inhaled in a large dose."

"So we know what he's using to get our victims into the car" concluded Morgan.

"How could no one have seen him though?" Questioned Reid, who was redrawing his map in the corner.

"Well he could have hid behind the car, no one driving by at the speed limit could have been any wiser." Rossi stated.

Neither Prentiss nor Hotchner said a word; they simply stared at the wall, the map, the computer, or the table. The other team members sensed the tension but no one dared to say anything just yet.

''We have a few days to figure out where they are and who this unsub is, unless he changes his routine", Morgan began, "Garcia, where could you get that chemical?"

"Well, it's found in some cleaners and paint removers, but it has decreased due to its harmfulness to the ozone layer, so it is a little less common than it used to be, plus it has to be in a large dose to get someone to be unconscious."

"Do you think you can find someone who distributes it in such large doses?"

"I'll try my love, Garcie out"

"Well we have something"

No one said a word.

Emily Prentiss looked over at Aaron, who did everything he could not to look back at her. She suddenly felt a little sick looking at him. She didn't know if she was coming down with something, or if she was nervous, or if she was disgusted. She looked at his hard jaw and his sharp eyes, and his dark hair combed neatly over his head. He was a sight, but no, she couldn't think of him that way. She excused herself to the ladies room, where now that J.J. was gone, no one would follow her.

She stood in the neon white room, as the lights buzzed above her head. She leaned against the sink and rubbed her temples, thinking about him, and how much he didn't like her anymore, and how much she was starting to like him. This was unreal. This couldn't happen. This was happening.

After splashing some cold water on her face and trying her best to clear her clogged head, she walked out of the bathroom, only to run into David Rossi.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, you asked me that before, I'm fine."

"You seem, I don't know, down."

"Rossi…"

"If you don't want to talk to me that's fine but-"

"It's Hotch", she interrupted.

"He is acting weird isn't he?"

"Especially toward me."

"Don't take it personally, he's probably just in a mood."

"Yeah, I guess."

"If you think you need to tell someone about something, just talk to me okay?"

"Thanks Rossi. Really."

"No problem, and by the way, snap out of it, cause we need you on this case. I get your theory, and I think we should go with it, so get back to Emily Prentiss. We need her."

Emily smiled at the sweet remark she would have expected from Morgan, not Rossi, but either way she felt needed again, and that made all of the difference.


	4. Cold

**Thank you for all the reviews! So far all of you like hate Hotch, but hey that's what I was going for! Haha, keep reading, in a couple of chapters things will start to get good. The ideas are whirling in by mind! =) love you all! P.s. I'm kind of freaking out from all you reviews! I really love the feedback!**

Emily was starting to return to her usual bad ass profiler self, but there still was that sinking feeling whenever she looked at Aaron. He never looked back, and this made Emily's heart wrench and her stomach churn, plus a spinning head and shaky hands on top of that. She felt utterly sick when he ignored her. When he distanced himself from her, when he interrupted her, or when he completely shut her down. But thinking about Rossi's kind words made her feel a bit better, and she tried to shake it off.

Meanwhile, Morgan trekked back and forth in the conference room thinking about anything that could possibly help this case, when his cell phone rang.

"Morgan."

"Oh don't be all official with me sugar, unless that's part of your act."

"Whatcha got for me you little tease?"

"Well, I did a little research, and there is an environmental lab in east Ohio that deals with many chemicals including 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, and its effect on the ozone layer. So, I looked into it and guess what?"

"What?"

"There was a large amount of lay-offs and then, a large amount of the chemical went missing and was never recovered."

"He might be one of those guys."

"Exactly."

"Yeah, but he takes the chemical out of rage, then starts killing? There needs to be another piece."

"Well, you'll figure it out, you are my muscly god of cocoa geniusness."

"And you are my dose of self-confidence for the day."

Garcia smiled, "so do you want me to send you the names?"

"Not yet, look through them first, and see if you find anything suspicious."

"How am I supposed to know what's suspicious?" she asked a little frustrated.

"Think of it like a profiler."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that? I am not a profiler!"

"Whoa sweet cheeks calm down, just a little advice. Wait? Who told you that?"

"Emily, when she was helping me choose a case yesterday."

"It's true."

"Speaking of Emily, has she been, a little, I don't know, off lately?"

"Yeah, her and Hotch both have been acting weird."

"Keep an eye on her. She's a good seed."

"Alright baby girl"

As he said these words, Hotch walked in and grabbed a folder off the table and left without a sound. The room seemed to drop a few degrees, and a chilling feeling of unfriendliness took over the area.

"What the hell?"

"What? Morgan? Hello?"

"Nothing. Just Hotch."

"Oh, well keep an eye on him too, that is like half the team not focused."

"No worries sweetheart, you got me."

"Don't be cocky, only I'm allowed to do that."

He cracked a small smile that quickly diminished as he hung up and peered out the opened door, watching Hotch, radiating in icy indifference, march down the hallway. What was going on with him? As he turned, he caught a glimpse of Emily. She was standing, leaning softly against a wall, with arms crossed and sad eyes. What was going on with her? What was going on with them?

Reid came up behind Morgan and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, I saw you on the phone, did Garcia get you anything?"

"Yeah actually, there was a large amount of layoffs at an environmental lab in Ohio and a large quantity of that chemical we found on the scene went missing. I think he took the chemicals out of rage toward the company. But I don't think he started killing just then. I don't know-"

"No, he could have started killing then."

"What?"

"What if, he got so mad about the layoffs he wanted to use what he stole for bad, and killed one person, or even a couple, then he found out that it excited him."

"And he wanted to kill more."

"So there might be another murder! The Savages couldn't have been the first!"

Reid then took out his cell phone and dialed Garcia.

"Well aren't I popular today? Hello boy genius."

"Hey Garcia can you do a search for me?"

"You're kidding right? Of course I can."

"Search any unsolved murders in Ohio after the layoffs you told Morgan about."

"There are a few, but none involving chemicals."

"Widen the search to surrounding states."

"Bingo, there were actually two separate couples murdered after the layoff that seem to fit, one in Indiana, and one in West Virginia. The Indiana couple was the John and Cindy Royce who were both poisoned using 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, and the West Virginia couple of Walter and Anna Thompson were abducted like the Ohio victims, but they turned up only three days later. Anna was abused and Walter was shot like our newer victims. And a week after they turned up, the Savages were killed."

"There, we have his start! Garcia look over those names carefully and send us the remaining. He is a white male, and look for any behavioral problems."

"Alright Dr. Reid, I'll get back to you in a snap crackle and pop."

Reid put his phone away, then turned back to Morgan.

"They never put the first two murders together because they were in different states."

"But, why would he repeat murders in the same area after that?"

"I don't know maybe he's getting restless? And that means he will be easier to catch."

"Okay. What do we do now?"

"Tell Hotch."

Morgan glared at him, he simply looked back in confusion with those muddy eyes and a cocked head.

"You really want to tell Hotch a theory?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Have you seen him lately? He is really, cold."

Yeah, but we still have to tell him. Go get Rossi and Prentiss, and I'll get Hotch. I really think we're on to something."

Morgan hoped so. All he wanted was for this thing to be over.

**Yeah, there is a lot of dialogue, but at least the case is heading somewhere =) Review!**


	5. Unbearable

**Hey guys! All of you seem to like it so far! Thank you! Yeah I am updating as fast as I can, but you know, life gets in the way, and I can only write so fast, but I really want to get to the good part, so here you go chapter 5!**

"Think like a profiler, think like a profiler, think like a profiler…"

Garcia was mumbling to herself as she combed over the list of names. Now that she separated the women from the men and narrowed that down by age and race, she had one hundred and three potential unsubs.

_Great._

She began looking into all the men's files trying to find any foul play, until her phone rang.

_Hotch?_

She hit the button on her receiver.

"Hello Lord of the ever so beautiful BA-"

"Not now Garcia."

Penelope pouted, a bit steamed.

"Yes, sir."

"Have you gone through the list of names?"

"I'm doing it now, sir."

"Can you do it any faster? It has been three days since the Clifton's abduction."

"I am trying, sir, I really am"

"Alright, but we want to get them out of the hands of the unsub with the least amount of damage."

"Well, of course s-"

She was cut off as Hotch hung up on her. Garcia was feeling a bit ticked, but reluctantly went through the names faster, mumbling something inaudible to herself.

Hotch walked toward the conference room trying to get anything he could finished, or started, to him, it didn't really matter. At that point he just needed to think about the case and only the case. He turned and walked into the room and proceeded to take a seat at the table, oblivious to the fact that Emily Prentiss was leaning on the wall behind him. Prentiss hesitated, but decided to casually walk over to the table. She wasn't going to say anything; she was going to act like she just walked in. She strode to the opposite wall.

Aaron heard her behind him. The click of a woman's heel and her sweet smell made his heart beat rapidly. She walked over to the map as Aaron watched the movement of her hair, and the sway of her hips. He was overcome by ten thousand emotions that hit him like a freight train. Anger, love, lust, pain, fury, and adoration bubbled and churned inside of him. Unable to communicate these punching feelings, he slammed his fist on the table and bolted out of the room. Prentiss spun around, startled by the loud sound, and started to breathe heavier.

_Am I that freakin' unbearable?_

That feeling of sickness choked her accompanied by a feeling of anger. She couldn't do this, she had to stay focused, and then after the case was over, she could confront him. Rossi's words rang in her head,

"_Get back to Emily Prentiss, we need her"_

She took a deep cleansing breath and started to think.

_This unsub works too slow. Nothing happening means no clues, which means that is how much slower we will find him. We need something to get him to act. Press conference? Hotch usually would have suggested that by now, but who knows what was going on with him. Should I ask? No._

It happened again. She tried to focus on the case. She tried to find a solution, but all she ended up with was the thought of Hotch. She leaned one hand on the table, and ran the other through her dark hair, then sighed.

Morgan passed by the conference room as Prentiss exposed her stress. He thought he would go talk to her, but he figured he should go and attempt to tackle the main issue.

He found Agent Hotchner leaned against a wall in the main area of the station.

"Hey, can I talk to you?"

"Not now."

"Don't give me that Hotch."

"Excuse me?"

"Everyone sees that there is something wrong with you. You're snapping at everyone, you barely talk, you got Prentiss stressed, and practically on the verge of tears."

"Don't even talk about Prentiss."

"What the hell man?"

"Don't do this now."

He started to walk away, but Morgan persisted to follow him, eager to find out what was going on. He gripped Agent Hotchner's shoulder as they walked into a private, back hallway.

"Talk to me man!"

"Morgan, stop this."

"What did she do?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Hotch got angrier by the second, and before he could do any damage vocally or physically, he rushed past Morgan like a swift wind. Morgan simply looked at him storm down the hallway. Hotch was falling apart, and when Hotch fell apart, the team fell apart.

As Morgan stood in the middle of the hallway, dumbfounded, an officer in a tan uniform interrupted his daze.

"Are you a member of the FBI? Um, the BAU?"

"Yeah, that's me, what's going on?"

"The Clifton's were just found on the side of a highway in Northfeild."

"What? It's only been three days!"

"You should gather your team, and get your unit chief, crime scene is already there and I think you should be there too."

"Alright, thanks."

_Thirteen days to three? Who is this guy?_

**Yeah, so short chapter, sorry! Hotch is being super asinine, but it all in the name of love =) he's not so great at communicating his feelings huh? REVIEW PLEASE! Love you =)**


	6. He was weak

**Wow, I got almost 20 reviews, which is more than I ever expected, so thank you again! So here we go chapter 6! Dum dum dum…**

Morgan went to go find Hotch and break the discouraging news. After searching for a few minutes, he found him outside the station. He seemed a little less heated, and a little more ragged then before.

"Did you hear? The Clifton's were just discovered."

"What? But it's only been-"

"Three days I know. It changes the profile. What should we do now?"

"How about you, Rossi, and… Prentiss, go look at the dumpsite."

He squeezed the word "Prentiss" out like it was almost painful. Morgan still could not figure out what she could have done wrong.

"Y'know, Hotch, I really don't think that Prentiss is focused enough to be effective."

"Then she can stay here and I'll go."

"I don't think your focused either."

"Are you really starting this again, Morgan?"

"Sorry sir, but I think we should take Reid, he is the most concentrated of those who hasn't been to a dumpsite yet, and I think fresh eyes would be good. You and Prentiss could work with Garcia on the profile and how it's changed again."

He glared a laser-like stare at Morgan. The last thing he wanted was to be here, alone, with Emily. Scrounging to the back of his mind, he found the smallest bit of clarity, and realized that Morgan was right. He agreed before he lost that clarity.

"Fine."

Morgan nodded and proceeded to go back on to the building

After the three agents left for Northfeild, which was an unfavorable almost two hours away, Agent Prentiss and Agent Hotchner sat at the same table for the first time in four days. They were on the phone with the fabulous Penelope Garcia, discussing their theories.

"Alright, I looked over all of the names that came up for layoffs at the environmental lab. I narrowed it down by age, race, and sex. I still had a lot of names left, so I narrowed it down by some of the other parameters you have provided, and came up with a disappointing zero."

"Garcia-"

"Not so fast my liege, there is more, I ran these searches over the whole company, and I found one man that was fired from the company the same time as the layoffs because he badmouthed a fellow female worker. He fits all the parameters and he had good reason to steal the chemicals. He actually told off the company boss because he could not collect unemployment like the people who were laid off. And I quote, "You will see that this will come back to haunt you, we work with deadly chemicals, you should see what I can do.""

"How come they didn't accuse him of stealing the chemicals in the first place? He was the most liable suspect." Emily questioned, ignoring the amount of discomfort in the room.

"Well, I looked at that, and first of all, they could not connect him to the theft due to a lack of evidence. Plus, he had disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Yeah, two days after the altercation with his boss, he was wiped off the map. He closed every one of his accounts and is now virtually untraceable."

"Are we sure this is our guy?"

"Oh I'm pretty sure, I did a little checkin' up on his past, and he has history of battery to his wife, until she filed for divorce and got the house."

"Do you have an address?"

"Yes, but she actually died a few months ago, right before the Thompsons were abducted."

"Do you think he's keeping them at the house?" Provided Prentiss.

"I don't know." Hotch answered her for the first time in a while.

Meanwhile, Reid, Rossi, and Morgan rode in their SUV, along the Ohio roads.

"So, Morgan, I heard that you confronted Hotch." Rossi probed.

"Yeah, well, he needed to be asked something. We need him to run this team, and he wasn't doing a very good job."

"Do you think it was a good idea to leave him and Prentiss by themselves?"

Morgan flashed a peculiar face, "They're not toddlers Rossi."

"I know that, but there _is_ some tension there."

"Well maybe some time alone can help them. Maybe they'll talk about whatever's going on, because they obviously are not going to tell us", supplied Reid, who was sitting in the back seat of the car.

"Well, I sure hope so, like Garcia said before, that is half the team not focused."

Morgan turned and looked out the window to his right. He saw the blur of the passing scenery, and felt at peace for a split second. Suddenly reality smacked him in the face. Five couples were murdered. That makes ten people, and all everyone kept thinking about was Hotch and Emily. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window, and continued glaring at the waterfall of colors that was the fleeting outdoors. What if he took another couple already? What if they never caught him? What if this case took so long because of the lack of focus and that a murderer somewhere else was killing and we could have caught him? As these difficult questions ran through Morgan's clouded head, he bagan to doze off. The last thing he thought of before he fell asleep was,

_Great now, I'm not focused._

…

"Morgan? Morgan?"

Reid gently shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up, as Rossi was already walking toward the crime scene.

"We're here already?" Morgan stretched, and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Sorry."

They scrambled out of the car and joined Rossi. When they strolled up next to him, they could see why his face was a bit shocked. The bodies were unlike the other ones, they were spread out on the road, able to be seen by anyone, and another thing was different, there was a message. Reid slipped a latex glove over his hand and lifted the woman's arm. Written in her own blood-

_He was weak_

**Ta-da chapter 6! The next one I am prepared to write something intense between, hmm who do you think? Yeah, so chapter 7- watch out for it! Love you =)))**


	7. Shades of black

**CHAPTER SEVEN! Take small bites and chew it well. Thank you for all the reviews! Again, I love you all! =)**

"_He_ was weak, not _she_." Reid muttered as they took a closer look, "That reminds me of what Prentiss said, the unsub could get off from the wife's battery. If he was weak, and he broke down sooner, then that could be why they were dumped sooner."

"True, look at his wrist, it's not only bruised, it's actually broken. He must have tugged hard at those restraints in order to get to his wife." Morgan agreed.

"They _were_ newlyweds", Rossi concluded as he took some snapshots of the two bodies. The woman was hard to look at; she was naked, bruised, cut, and just plain broken. The man was fully clothed but still showed an unmistakably terrified and furious look on his face.

"Send those pictures to Garcia, Hotch and Prentiss."

"Just did. Let's keep looking, see if we can add anything to the profile."

In the meantime, Prentiss was reviewing the potential unsub Garcia had come across. His name was Francis Cadbur, and he had all the makings of being an unsub. Abusive past, abuse toward his wife, then he gets fired from his job, and then his ex-wife dies. Garcia had also dug up a little more about the house.

"It was taken by the government and supposed to be given to Ms. Cadbur's sister, but the will was never recovered even though the sister was there when she had written it. The sister was not allowed to get the house because the cosigner, Francis Cadbur, became the legal owner. So, he might be living there, even though he is not on the records, or the bills, or anything. Like I said before- he was wiped off the map."

Prentiss continued to talk to Garcia, while Hotch excused himself.

_Great, just when I thought he could stay in the same room as me. It's happening again._

Only, this time, he did not come back. Prentiss became suspicious when no one knew where he went. Finally, she found an officer that said-

"Your unit chief? He said he was leaving to go a house in Richmond Heights."

She hastily left the young officer and dialed Garcia.

"Did you give the address of the Cadbur house to Hotch?"

_Yeah, he said you were going to go there-_

"_He _went there! Alone!"

_Alone?_

"I need the address Garcia!"

_Fine! Fine! 832 Ryker ave. Richmond Heights, Ohio."_

Emily hung up the phone, and swiftly speed-walked toward the parking lot. The breeze ran through her dark hair and she couldn't think straight.

_Alright, he's mad at me I get it, but he doesn't have to jeopardize himself and this team._

She climbed into a government issued SUV and put the keys into the ignition. Still ranting in her head, she pulled out of the station parking lot and headed to the close-by Richmond Heights.

…

Aaron Hotchner drove along a long highway, focused on the destination, and for once not thinking about Emily, until a black SUV began pulling up behind him. He glanced in his rearview mirror and saw her face. It was beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed and she had large sunglasses on that shielded her gorgeous eyes. He wondered why she followed him. His mind spastically darted from thought to thought, so he decided to pull over.

When he got on the shoulder, Emily did the same. She stepped out of her car and walked over to her unit chief. Hotch also stepped out his SUV. Then the confrontation began.

"Why did you leave? Why would you think you could do this alone?"

"Prentiss, I can go alone, I am the leader of this team and-"

"You're not doing a very good job."

"Excuse me?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

"Hotch, it's not just this, you know it's not just this."

"Then what is it about?"

"Oh I don't know, let me think, you ignore me, you don't listen to any of my ideas, you can barely look at me…"

"Prentiss…"

"You are so clouded and distracted, and you seem to stay as far away from me as possible…"

"Prentiss…"

"What did I do wrong Hotch? What did I ever do to you? I have been spending the past few days wondering what the hell I could have done wrong, and-"

"Emily!"

The world fell silent. Hotch barely ever called her "Emily". He looked at her with a smoldering glower. It was filled with intensity and a meaning that Prentiss could not even begin to decode. The last thing she expected was love. She looked at him with a nervous stare that seemed feeble and somewhat scared. Her mouth was open slightly, but she choked on any words she dared to say. All she could squeeze out was,

"I-"

"We should go to the house."

Prentiss stumbled back and climbed in her car. Both of them continued driving toward the house.

…

They reached the shabby old house on the outskirts of town. It was old and not too big, with an unkept lawn, boarded windows, and a broken door. The two shaken up agents got out of their cars and walked up to the door, Kevlar vests on, and guns in reach.

They knocked three times on the broken wood. No answer. But they did here a crash from inside the house.

"Francis Cadbur! Open the door!"

"We're coming in!"

The door opened easily, just a small kick and it revealed a disheveled mess of a living space. Aaron and Emily looked around, and then proceeded to search the rest of the house. The awkwardness between the two agents about the previous encounter was still eminent. They split up, guns drawn, not expecting what was going to happen next.

Hotch entered what seemed to be a bedroom and looked around. He did not see a soul, until an arm wrapped around his neck and a paper towel was shoved over his mouth. He smelled a sickly sweet odor, and soon the world was fizzing out. He reached for his gun, but could not find it, his hands shaky and motor skills diminishing. His sight turned brown and the next thing he knew, he hit the floor, and the world went black.

Prentiss, oblivious to what happened in the other room, searched the back patio. Finding nothing, she turned around, only to meet head on with a wooden two by four. She could see an outline of a man as she fell to the ground. She felt blood run down her face, and the man became dimmer, and dimmer, until it was that same shade of black.

**Omg! What? Yeah sorry for the little cliffhanger, but we are heading into the good part of the story. Stay tuned! Review please! Love to all 3**


	8. Knowing

**Hey guys so sorry about the late update, I got almost 30 reviews! You guys seriously rock =) okay let's get back to the action!**

Aaron Hotchner winced as he met the light. He slowly drifted into consciousness, and found himself in a rather uncomfortable place. He tried to move, but his hands were tied along with his ankles. He lifted his head up to observe his surroundings. He was laid out of a mattressless bed frame in a dingy and cold room, next to an unconscious Emily Prentiss.

He looked at her. She was undoubtedly beautiful, but he could not get past the glistening blood on her forehead.

_Why wasn't I there to protect her?_

She was also tied up, but not the least bit vulnerable. She was a strong woman, one of the things Aaron always loved about her. That along with her big heart, pretty exterior, and remarkable intelligence, made her irresistible. She didn't deserve him, or at least that's what he thought.

…

"Yeah, Emily left to go with him, but they never came back, and neither of them is picking up their phones. Something happened to them, Morgan!"

"Alright, alright Garcia, calm down, just give me the address"

"832 Ryker ave. Richmond Heights, Ohio"

"I'll call you as soon as I get there"

"You're an hour and a half away Morgan I-"

"Baby girl calm down, I'm leaving right now."

"Alright, I'll be right… here"

"That's the only place I want you to be."

He hung up the phone and turned to Rossi and Reid.

"Hotch and Emily went to go to the house of a potential, and now they're not picking up their phones. Garcia's pretty worried, and frankly so am I. I am going to the house."

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Reid.

"You good here Rossi?"

"I got this, you go ahead."

They piled in the SUV and headed to find their fellow agents.

…

"Still asleep is she?"

An average looking man stood at the foot of the bed.

"You got yourself a pretty one."

"We're not-"

"Don't try that with me. I get it, your FBI so you think you know me. You know I like married couples, when really I just like people that love each other. So don't try to fool me. I have seen the way you look at her. You love her."

Hotch knew it. The unsub knew it. Now only she had to know it.

The unsub walked over to the side of the bed were a still unconscious Emily lay. He lifted his hand, gripping a knife, and scooped up a piece of Emily's hair, then letting it fall. He did this a few times before he looked at Hotch with a laser-like glower. He walked out of the room, leaving with a symphony of echo-y footsteps.

Moments later, she began to stir.

"Hotch?"

"Shh.. Prentiss, be quiet. I'm right here."

Her eyes popped open, blinking a few times. She pivoted her neck, looking at Hotch.

"What happened? Where are we?" she whispered.

"We split up, and he knocked you out."

"What do we do?"

"I don't know. Just relax, we'll find a way out."

"But he… The profile-"

"I know, but we can't show fear. As soon as we do we're dead"

"That's like-"

"Your theory, I know. Prentiss?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry"

She began to drift again.

"Prentiss, no, wake up."

But it was too late. She closed her eyes, as Hotch eyed the rise and fall of her chest, making sure she never stopped breathing.

…

"Slow down!"

"Reid."

"Morgan! Brake! Brake!"

"Reid! I know how to drive!"

"The speed limit here is 65, not 89! There is _not_ a 90 miles per hour speed limit in the United States!"

"Reid calm down, do you want to find Hotch and Prentiss?"

"Yes, but I also want to live!"

"Please be quiet."

"Please slow down!"

"I'm trying to drive."

"Morgan!"

"I'm not slowing down, there is no one on this road!"

"Yeah, except for that deer!"

"What? Holy crap! Reid hold on!"

Reid gripped the handle above the window as Morgan slammed on the brakes and swerved out of the way of the deer. Reid squealed as they barely missed the petrified animal and screeched onto the shoulder of the back-road. Reid had to give it to Morgan, he did know how to drive.

"You okay?" Morgan asked, breathless

"Uh..." Reid could not respond, his heart was already in his throat, waiting to be swallowed down again.

They sat in the car, as dust whirled around outside, both hearts beating and minds racing. All these distractions were getting really annoying. Suddenly the phone rang in Reid's pocket. He pressed it against his ear, still shaking.

"H-h-hello?"

"_Reid?"_

"Hey G-Garcia."

"_Are you okay? You sound kind of stressed."_

"Y-Yeah, we kind of almost hit a deer."

"_A deer! What! Are you hurt!"_

"No, I'm fine, Morgan's fine, the cars fine."

"We have two agents MIA, you can't be going hitting deer! Stick to the case!"

"Garcia? Is that you? You sound so, official."

"I need you to not kill yourselves, and I need you to find Hotch and Prentiss!"

"I know. We're heading there now."

She hung up, as did Reid. He turned to Morgan.

"That was Garcia."

"She freaked out?"

"You're not?"

…

The man walked back into the room, just as Prentiss began to squirm.

"Good timing, say Agent Hotchner?"

He traveled to the bad, then began to undo Emily's restraints.

"Stand up!"

Prentiss, finally realizing the situation she was in gripped one of the bedposts, trying to hold herself up. He looked into her eyes, then pushed her shoulder with a large amount of force, making her crumble to the ground. She gasped, trying to get up and fight back, until he kicked her stomach, making her wince in pain.

"Hotch!"

**Ouch. Lots of dialogue, but I like this chapter =) hope you do to! Review! Thanks for reading!**


	9. You Won't Break Me

**I'm back, so here is chapter 9! Enjoy!**

A fluorescent light hung from the ceiling over Emily's head. Its blinding light made Emily squint. She found herself lying on the floor next to the bed, with a sharp pain in her side. Trying to roll herself over, she realized a tear was running down her cheek. She was scared.

_Emily Prentiss- scared?_

"Hotch?" She whispered, pushing herself up into the kneeling position. A wave of dizziness hit her and sent her reeling. She placed a clammy hand on her wounded forehead, making it sting. She called again.

"Hotch?"

Aaron Hotchner was wide awake. Lying on the bed. He couldn't bear hearing the pain in her voice. He wanted to respond, but then he'd have to face the fact that he couldn't protect her. As he continued to get mad at himself, a hand gripped the side of the bed frame. A pale face with disheveled hair came up over the side. She looked scared, but not weak.

"Emily I'm so sorry"

She used all her strength to lift herself up onto the bed. Pulling her last leg up, she responded,

"None of this is your fault."

"I-"

He was interrupted by a loud slam. From a door on the far side of the room, emerged the man again.

"And, what do you think you're doing?"

He waltzed over to Emily with rhythmic, even, strides. When he reached her he placed a meaty hand on her shoulder.

"You won't break me."

"Yeah… Let's just see."

And, he pulled her to the ground.

…

Reid and Morgan had gotten back to the highway and were almost to the house. They got off at the right exit and slowly approached the eerie looking residence.

"832. This is it."

They got out of the car and drew their weapons. Walking up to the door, Morgan whispered.

"Be careful."

Morgan, being Morgan, kicked in the door and took the east part of the house.

"Clear!"

Reid took the west.

"Clear!"

They went room by room. Nothing, until Reid went onto the pack patio. He eyed the wood that lay on the floor, stained with crimson, until he was joined by Morgan.

"Do you think its Hotch or Prentiss's?"

"I hope not."

They whipped out their camera phones and began taking pictures of the house to send to Rossi and Garcia.

"This house has nothing. No pictures, no paperwork, only some nasty furniture and broken household items. If he did take Hotch and Prentiss, he's not keeping them here."

The two agents stood in the empty house, puzzled and anxious.

…

Prentiss grunted as she hit the floor. The man began kicking the helpless agent, a discouraging phrase with each sickening blow.

"You think he loves you!"

_Kick._

"He never loved you!"

_Kick._

"No one loves you!"

_Kick._

"Give up yet agent Hotchner?"

_Kick._

"I might let you live

_Kick._

"Give up, agent Hotchner!"

He stopped kicking for a moment and glared at Emily Prentiss. She was writhing on the floor, not knowing what pained part of her body she should concentrate on. Her head throbbed, pangs of agony rattled throughout her body, her ribs felt as though they could be broken, and there was this everlasting ache in all of her joints.

_When will this be over?_

…

"Garcia, clam down."

"How can I calm down, Morgan? Please tell me how the hell I can clam down? Hotch and Emily are in the hands of that sicko! Have you seen the pictures? Have you seen the bodies? Have you seen what he has done with those other couples? He is going to do that to them! They are going to end up-"

"Garcia, please! I know this is hard for you; this is hard for all of us! Don't you think I am worried too? I am scared out of my mind! But we are never going to find them if we are not focused. We need to clear our heads and use them to find them. What I need right now is you, Garcia."

"What?"

"I need you. I need your genius. I need you to tell me that I am your God, and that I can do this, that I can solve this. I need your positivity. I need Penelope Garcia."

"You are my God. You can solve this. You can do this. I love you. Now what can I do to help?"

"That's my girl."

…

Rossi hung up the phone and turned to an officer at the crime scene.

"Two of our agents were kidnapped by the unsub. We have to work fast."

"You're agents?"

"Yeah Prentiss and Hotchner."

"And _now_ you choose to work fast?"

"Excuse me?"

"Five couples were murdered, and now that your agents were kidnapped, you want to start doing something productive."

"You have no idea what you are talking about! It's been a few days, and we _do_ know who the unsub is. I don't know about you, but that sounds _productive_ to me."

"Well, just find him alright?"

The obnoxious officer scoffed and walked away. Rossi was left with a questioning look, pretty much a "what the hell just happened" face. He knew everyone was on edge, but he never had anyone snapped at him like that before.

…

Emily Prentiss remained on the floor, as the unsub, Francis, leisurely walked around the room.

"There will be more if you don't give up Agent Hotchner."

_Stick to the profile. Stick to the profile. Stick to the profile._

All of the discouraging words stung in Emily's brain like acid. She thought about love. Sure, she has dated a lot of men, and yeah, she hasn't found the right one yet, but she still could be loved, right? What the hell was she thinking, this guy was just trying to break her. But what is he was right? And what did he mean by "he didn't love you"? Who was _he?_ Hotch? Of course Hotch didn't love her. He was _Hotch, _crying out loud. Her boss! If anything he liked her less than usual, never mind loved her. But there still was that sinking feeling that maybe… Just maybe… She loved him.

**Ooh. Deep. Yeah so a lot going on in this chapter, you got mean unsubs, cute Garcia/Morgan moment, obnoxious officers, and poor Hotch and Emily! What do you think? Review my loves!**


	10. You Deserve Love

**Hello all! Update time! Have fun…**

This had turned into a vicious cycle. Hotchner would watch as the love of his life was beaten, more and more, and he was beginning to feel like he was to blame. Francis had kept telling him to give up, and he would let her live, but he had this job too long, and he knew that he needed to stick to the profile. He was not going to give up, because if he did, he would lose her forever, and she would never know the truth. Of course there always was that thought in the back of his mind, that maybe _Francis_ was telling the truth. Maybe he could save her if he just gave up and broke down, but for now he trusted the profile. And that's all he had to hang on to.

The cycle continued. This time he carried Emily in his arms. Her face read that she wanted to fight back, but her body was in too much pain, and resisted. He paced around the room mumbling in a sing song voice.

"Give up, agent Hotchner… Give up agent Hotchner… Give up…"

Hotch was practically shaking in fury and rage, but he still latched on to the profile. He was not going to break.

"What should I do next… I _will_ make you lose it. You know one of the other men took _thirteen_ days to give in. I am relentless, and this is all candy to me."

As he said the words "all candy to me" he shifted his gaze to Emily Prentiss, who was softly grunting, coming back into full consciousness.

"Don't struggle my dear."

He threw Emily on the ground, making her whimper in pain. Ignoring her, Francis walked over to a metal supply closet and opened it revealing an abundance of frightening items. He ran his fingers over guns, knives, blades, whips, but settled on a small Taser.

Hotch screamed in his head, yelling every obscenity he knew, calling the man every awful think he could think of, but remained in silence. He almost exploded when he heard the first _zap_ then a sharp, feminine inhale. That was repeated two more times, the anger building with each infuriating buzz of the Taser. The man began to shout at the helpless agent lying on the floor.

"You're nothing! Absolutely nothing! You will never be loved! Never! Do you know why? Do you know why agent Prentiss?"

"Hotch! Oh my God!"

"He's not going to help you… he doesn't love you! Do you know why? Tell me agent Prentiss, do you know why!"

"No! Hotch?"

"Because you don't deserve love! You don't deserve to be loved! And you never will!"

A hitching breath escaped from the agent, who was now curled up into a fetal position on the soggy, rotten smelling ground. She began to sob, making her body shake and pierce with agonizing pain. She buried her tear stained face in her hands, as Francis came closer yet again. One last buzz of the Taser, and she was out cold. He picked her up again, her frail body drooping, not able to avoid the gravity, and dumped her on the bed next to Hotch like a piece of garbage, and re-tied her restraints.

"Surrender."

He and Hotch stared at each other, needle-like eye to needle-like eye.

"Never."

He fled the room, dropping the Taser on the floor, and looking back for one last eerie smile towards the agents before he disappeared into the darkness of an unknown exit.

He looked at her. She was naturally pale, but now she was paler than ever, and despite the tears, the blood, the bruises, and that unshakeable look of pain that stained her face, she was beautiful. Hotch wanted to wrap his arms around her broken body as she cried into his chest, unable to hide the pain any longer. She was a strong woman, but the small amount of vulnerability she had shown as she was asleep, made Hotch fall even deeper in live with her. She was radiating in the dim light of the 'bedroom', keeping Hotch willing to live, just so he can tell her how much she meant to him. He looked up at the ceiling and whispered…

"Keep her safe, I love her."

This was the first time he had ever said those words out loud. Three words that big tough agent Hotchner was so afraid to say, he still needed to say that to her.

He tried rolling over onto his side, pulling hard at the restraints. He was uncomfortable but he didn't care. He needed to watch her. Her long eyelashes were draped over her eyes, still damp with tears. He wanted so badly to take his hand and gently wipe them away, and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But, would it?

He watched her breathe, realizing that it was painful to do so. She needed medical attention, and fast, but he could not get it to her, and that killed him inside. He could still hear her screams for him and calls for help rattling in his head.

"_Hotch!"_

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the sound, with no prevail.

"_Hotch! Oh my God!"_

He squeezed harder.

"_Hotch!"_

Harder still.

"_No! Hotch!"_

He felt as though his head would burst.

"Hotch?"

This was different. Soft. Gentle. Fragile. Painful to hear.

Aaron popped his eyes open and met with two large, glistening brown ones. Emily let a crystal tear slip, and she sniffed softly.

"I'm sorry."

She pressed her swollen eyes shut and continued to cry.

"Prentiss, you have nothing to be sorry for. What could you possibly be sorry for?"

"Being weak. I told him he wouldn't break me, but I let him."

"You are not weak; you are the strongest person I know."

"No…"

She began drifting yet again into a place she had been to a lot recently.

"Emily, wait…"

"What?" she croaked in a drowsy tone, just about to close her eyes.

"You deserve love."

**Aww! There comes the title. Probably one of my fave chapters so review, and tell me what **_**you**_** think! Just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you that favorited and reviewed, because I am astounded at all the positive feedback! I love you guys so much!**


	11. Frustrated

**Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated all too quickly but it was Thanksgiving! Hope you all had a great holiday! I just want to thank you guys for my over 50 reviews! That's is way more than I ever expected! Now, let's get back to the action!**

Garcia, yet again, tapped her pen on her desk in time with the clock. This time it was out of pure anxiousness. This couldn't be happening. _Two_ vital agents were being held by an unsub. _Two_ minds that could have helped catch him. _Two_ lives that were in the hands of the four remaining agents, who were only able to wait for more leads.

"Leads! Leads! I need a stupid lead!"

Garcia shouted, unable to stay calm anymore. She tossed her pen to the side and buried her face in her hands. Upon facing her screens again, she smoothed her red hair, and tried to maintain some composure, but to her dismay, that was not an option. Staring at these screens was getting tedious, but that was her job. She needed _something, anything!_ She needed two of her babies back. _That_ is what she needed.

…

The unsub burst into the room. Hotch could tell he was mad, no he was furious.

"It's not working! Why isn't it working!"

He hastily stomped over to the bed and gripped the frame. Staring at the agents, he began shaking it violently, making Emily begin to surface again. Aaron simply stared at the crimson man at the foot of the bed, debating on whether he should speak. He took a chance.

"May I ask what is not working?"

He glared at Agent Hotchner. For a moment, Hotch thought he or Emily was going to die then and there. But the man softened, something Hotch never expected.

"You! Her! The, squirming, and the blood, and the screams. It usually helps me. Y'know."

Hotch knew exactly what he was talking about. And he began to think.

"I do."

"But it's not working. Why isn't it working?"

He became enraged again, his face flooding with red, his knuckles turning white as he clenched the bed frame again.

"I study men like you all the time and in my experience, it helps when the man feels he may get caught."

The gears were turning in Hotch's head. The man was devolving; he was becoming infuriated every time he could not get off. Aaron knew that due to his psychosis, he could not let them go, or kill them without using them to get off first. If he just played his cards right… he was going to save Emily.

"If you feel the pressure of oncoming defeat, it usually can make you… exited."

"I can get caught! I have two FBI agents! If I have the most chance of getting caught, it's now!"

"Not necessarily."

"What are you talking about? Wait, why would I listen to you?"

"I am just trying to help. I know a lot about these kinds of things."

"How do you propose I get… excited, Agent Hotchner?"

"Just tease my team. They will be running around looking for you, and you will be superior. You will feel the excitement of being on the edge, and be able to get off, but you will not get caught."

"Tease them?"

"Contact them."

"What?"

"Contact them. You may think differently, but we are way behind in tracking technology. They will never find you."

The man looked skeptical, but he was desperate. A few weeks ago, he would never have fallen for such an obvious trick, but a profiler, like Aaron Hotchner was all he needed to crack.

"Who is your contact?"

"That is classified."

"Who is your contact!"

Hotchner had him. The unsub now needed something from him.

"I am not telling you who my contact is."

"You told me that that is what I needed! Now, I want you to tell me, who is your contact!"

"Sorry."

"I will kill her! I will take a knife and kill her! Do you want to see her die, Agent Hotchner? Do you want to see her die!"

"You can't do that. You _won't_ do that."

"Who says I won't?"

"I know you won't. If you kill her, without me breaking, then you won't get off. And that is what you need."

"But I can't do that without a contact? Stop playing games!"

"I am not playing games."

He groaned a loud and furious groan. He picked up a piece of debris and hurled it against a wall, making a piercing, shattering sound. Prentiss twitched, then looked at Hotch. She mouthed a phrase to him.

_You got him._

"I need your contact!"

"Don't you have our phones?"

"I destroyed them, I know about tracking devices."

"I will make you a deal-"

"I am not letting you go."

"I never said that."

"Go on."

"Make a video to send to my team. I will give you the contact."

"Why a video?"

"It cannot be traced like a phone call can; you can easily manipulate the internet trail. Plus it will get my agents worried. Imagine, getting four FBI agents to cower to you."

He gave a small smile, then a breathy laugh.

"FBI? Cower to me?"

"That will get you to… Y'know."

"Yes! And you will give me your contact?"

"I promise."

Hotch stared at the man, attempting to initiate trust, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see Emily smile, and that made his heart flutter. He was going to save her.

…

Garcia pressed her forehead to the cool surface of her desk. All she heard was the soft whirring of the machines that surrounded her, until a bleep shattered the quiet. Garcia snapped her head up, making her hair whiz back. She looked at the screen in front of her.

"What? A video? Oh my god!"

**Will Garcia save the day? I don't know, stay tuned! Goodbye all, but before you leave, review, and tell me what you think is going to happen next!**


	12. So Close

**Chapter 12! It is nearing the end… or is it? No, it is =)**

Morgan forced the cell phone in his hand to his ear, trying to understand the ranting words spewing from the speaker.

"Garcia? Garcia? What are you trying to say?"

"_Video! There is a video!"_

"A video?"

"_From the unsub! Morgan, it's from him!"_

"Did you watch it!"

"_No, I got scared. What if-"_

"Garcia, open the video."

"_I'll send it to you, are you back at the station yet?"_

"Yeah."

"Okay I'm sending it to your laptop, do you have it?"

"Yeah, I got it. Stay on speakerphone with me okay baby girl? I'm going to go get Reid, and Rossi."

He pressed the speakerphone button and placed the phone on the table. Morgan dashed out of the room and went to find Reid and Rossi. He was astounded by the new evidence, and exited that the glimmer of hope that they would get their two agents back had returned. He soon found them discussing details of the case with another officer. He grabbed Reid by the arm and pulled him toward to room as he called Rossi's name. Reid stumbled, trying to keep up with the hasty Morgan.

"Morgan, what are you doing!

"Come on, there is a video!"

"What?"

They made it into the room, and Morgan practically sprinted toward the laptop. He stared at the screen.

"There is a video from the unsub."

The two agents eyed him. They knew that that video could contain the shred of evidence that they needed to crack this case. They also knew that this video could contain the reality that was; their fellow agents could be dead. They each debated in their minds if they really wanted to see the video and what it contained, but the silent, unanimous decision was that they had to.

"Open it."

Morgan clicked on the file, as his stomach churned. The three agents huddled over the small computer. And video began…

The screen filled with static, then switched to a view of a dirty wall. A voice seeped through the speakers. It was deep, but not too deep, and it seemed almost, exited.

"Hello, FBI. It seems that you need something from me. Two something's to be exact. Aaron Hotchner."

He walked over to the bed and aimed the camera at Hotch. He stared right into the lens with burning intensity.

"And Emily Prentiss."

The screen then filled with the agonizing and heart-wrenching image of Emily. She was conscious for this, but she could not bear too look at the lens. She was beaten and broken, and she wished the team would not see her like this, but she also knew that this was the way she would get out of here.

Morgan turned to the wall and pounded his fist to it, the softest he possible could manage. If he wasn't in a police station, he would not have debated putting a hole in the wall. Reid, closed his eyes, nearing tears. He thought that if he wasn't there then Prentiss would have gone to the abduction site with Rossi and Morgan, and this wouldn't have happened to her. He had to sit down and bury his face in his hands, how could a genius like him, someone who knew mounds of facts, not know how to deal with this. Rossi was the only one who dared to keep looking at the screen. He couldn't get himself to peel his eyes away. It was partly shock, and partly wanting to get this guy and beat the crap out of him, he knew that Hotch, Morgan, and possibly Reid agreed with him.

"Come and get them, oh wait, you can't!"

The unsub laughed, and ended the video.

Morgan turned back to the screen and began to talk to Garcia.

"They are alive Garcia. Can you trace the video?"

"_I will trace this thing as fast as these modems will let me. Sugar, we are going to get our babies back if it's the last thing I do."_

"You can do this sexy girl. Call me as soon as you have anything."

"_Gotcha."_

Morgan hung up and turned to Rossi. They exchanged worried glances and deep sighs. Rossi then patted Reid's shoulder, whose face was still in his shaky hands. He lifted his head, revealing his misty, muddy, eyes. This wasn't the first time he felt responsible for Prentiss getting hurt. His memory flashed back to Cyrus and when he beat Emily. He needed to help her, but how?

…

Garcia typed on her keyboard so fast that she was surprised she was not producing smoke. Numbers, names, letters, pictures, maps, and figures flashed, scrolled, and moved around the screens surrounding her. She was determined, she was going to save the day, as she said, if it was the last thing she did. Using her magic, she was able to narrow the origin of the video to a fifteen mile radius. Now she knew who she needed now. Reid.

…

As Reid sat at the table staring at the black screen of the computer, his cell phone buzzed.

"Hello?"

"_Reid? I need your help. I have narrowed the source of the video in between three towers, creating a fifteen mile radius. What else do you know that will help find them?"_

"Hold on."

He pulled the laptop closer to him and turned it on. He pulled up the video file and opened it, watching the video, this time as a profiler. He paid special attention to the background, the details, and not so much the brutal image of his fellow agents, which proved to be difficult. Then, all of a sudden, he found it, the missing piece. It may seem small to others, but to him, it was the key to saving two lives, and getting the very much needed agents back. He found…

"A press!"

"_A press? What are you talking about Reid?_

"There is a printing press in the room when he pans the camera to Hotch, its broken, but it's an industrial grade printing press, is there any factories that print magazines or newspapers in that fifteen mile radius?"

"_Bingo, Ohio Journal printing factory. It was abandoned a few years ago, but it was bought by someone, but the name is not able to be recovered. I'll send you the coordinates. Are you sure that is where they are?"_

"Um…"

"_Who am I kidding, just go!"_

He ran out of the room, he was going to save them. This was a hunch, and Spencer didn't deal well with hunches, but this was a risk he had to take.

**Review!**


	13. Questions and Answers

**Chapter 13! What will happen? I don't know! AAAH! Read on my friends! Haven't done this in a while… I do not own criminal minds or any of its characters.**

Adrenalin rushed through Aaron Hotchner's brain. He was shaking in emotion. His mind flooded with doubt, longing, need, love, bravery, and yes even a little fright. Aaron Hotchner was scared, but not for himself, for the beautiful woman lying next to him. He wondered if the team had figured it out. If they knew where they were. He looked over to the broken printing press on the opposite wall. Did they see it? Did Reid, although he could not deal with this kind of stress all too well, notice what he was meant to notice? Did Garcia narrow down the possible area? Were they coming? Were they on their way right now? Or were they debating on the location, still in the station? He looked over at Emily, and he realized that this whole time, he had not said nearly enough to her. He should have told her that he was going to make things alright for them, and that he would get them out of this brutal situation. He should have told her that she was brave, and she is strong, and that she would get through this. He should have said, that he loved her. Maybe, he should say it now, it could be his last chance.

"Prentiss?" he whispered.

"Yeah?" she wheezed, trying to keep a steady breath.

"We are going to get out of here… you know that right?"

She stared at him with those eyes that just made Aaron melt. _How the hell am I going to do this?_

"I know. We have some of the best people looking for us, you got him to send the video, and they are probably coming for us. We will make it."

"But if we don't, I want you to know something…"

His heart beat faster than it ever had before, almost audibly.

"What are you talking about? What do you need to tell me?"

This was it… this was the time… it was on the tip of his tongue… dangling in the air… caught in his throat…

"I l-"

His sentence was interrupted by a loud, roaring scream.

"It didn't work! Agent Hotchner, you lied to me! You lied!"

His heart stopped. He was so close, but the words vanished from the room, no longer lingering in his mouth. He stared at Francis, trying to maintain composure, he still would not break.

"I did not lie. It was just a suggestion." He muttered, calmly.

"No, you lied! Now I am going to kill her! And I will kill you too!"

Rage overcame his body.

"You won't do that."

"Oh really? Do you think you know everything? I am not falling for your tricks again. You lie, agent Hotchner, you lie! And now you have to suffer."

He began undoing Emily's restraints again. As he did so, Emily began to shout.

"Hotch! What did you want to tell me!"

The unsub stared at her, and then spat in her face, "No talking!"

"Hotch! Tell me!"

Aaron looked at her, as she was carried away by the unsub. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he couldn't get the words out. He wanted to scream that he needed her to be with him, but he choked. He needed her to know the truth, but he kept his lips shut. It was just too hard. Francis looked at agent Hotchner, with Emily in his arms. This was it, his last chance. He walked through a door on the east side of the room.

"Hotch! Tell me! Please! I need to know!"

The door closed inch my inch as beads of sweat ran down Hotch's face. The door was now almost closed, and he heard Emily scream one last time.

"Aaron!"

Aaron. She called him Aaron. Is heart wrenched and he locked his hands, making two frustrated fists. The door was an inch away from closing. Hotch mustered up all of his strength, all of that pent up fury, and rage, and pure and potent adoration, then shouted-

"I Love You!"

It was a breathy and desperate phrase. Full of emotion, and longing, the "I" almost a hiss, and the "Love you" clear and sorrowful. He did not want her to know that way, but at least he said it, well shouted it. He heard a crash as Emily was probably thrown against something, and he braced for what was coming next, then a sound shattered his eardrums, his will, his life, and his heart.

_A gunshot._

**Oh my goodness… really short chapter, but lots of stuff going on. I am not even going to say anything else because I want that to sink in. review?**


	14. The Unknown

**Hey there! New chapter! Sorry for the suspense. I got kind of sick and did not feel like writing, but I am back and now… back to the action.**

The world stopped. It just died along with Hotch's will to live. The sky shattered. The stars burned out. It all seemed so calm now. Nothing mattered anymore. He couldn't save her. His heart rate slowed down, and his brain could not think anything anymore, all he was physically able to do was lay there and stare at the cold- looking ceiling and breathe in the overwhelming scent of death and despair that was lingering in the air. He hoped that the rest of the team would never show up. He hoped that Francis would simply come out of the room and kill him like he did the others. If he could not save the woman he loved, why live at all?

His own words rang in his ear.

"I love you."

He had finally said it. Out loud. To her. But he would never get to know her reaction. He would never get to know if maybe, just maybe, she felt the slightest bit the same. If she did would she be willing to jeopardize her and his job to pursue it? Would she be happy? Would she have been offended, or felt violated? Would she be perpetually uncomfortable around him? Would she have quit? Would he have quit? Would they possible be able to work together in either situation anymore? Would Strauss have found out? Would she tell the rest of the team? How would they react?

Why did this happen to her? Why did her bravery cause her to get beaten, and trampled? She did not deserve any of it. She deserved hope, and family, and freedom, and kindness. She deserved love. Did she deserve more that Hotch? More than this stone faced man with too much baggage and a hidden capacity for love. No, she deserved a man that could wrap his arms around her without the fear of getting fired from their job, and losing everything. Hotch couldn't lose everything, he had already lost so much. Everyone that he had remotely loved had been a brutal casualty of this job. After he broke up with Hayley, he reunited with Agent Kate Joyner. The SUV explosion hit both of them, but he got to live, and he couldn't save her. His ex-wife Hayley was killed by the Reaper. He heard that gunshot too, over the phone. It shattered his heart. And he got to live. He could not save her. Now Emily. He watched as she was pummeled and crushed. He only could lay there. He lived. He could not save her.

These thoughts, questions, doubts, and memories rushed through Hotch's head at an uncanny speed. Hotch could not believe his scull had not exploded, and send bits and pieces of the mush that had become of his brain flying throughout the room. He needed to stop this. He needed to stop the questions, the thoughts and the memories. He needed to stop the world. He cut off all the messages to his brain, he held his breath, then breathed in slowly to keep a steady pace. He opened his eyes wide and observed his surroundings.

Nothing moved. Not the air, not Francis, not Hotch. Everything was still, and peaceful. Hotch' eyes fluttered shut as he slowly gave in to sleep. He lashes tickled under his eyes and he parted his lips slightly. He felt at rest, almost immobile, almost dead. It all felt over, until a bang at the entrance door, not the one where Prentiss and Francis were, shook him to clarity. A familiar face busted into the room, breaking the peace, silence, and death. Morgan looked at Hotch with a seemingly breathless and worried look. He continued to clear the room as Rossi and Reid followed behind, both sporting similar emotions as Morgan. Hotch locked eyes with Morgan as he ran over to the bed.

"Hotch!"

Suddenly it all collapsed on top of him, the shattered silence cut him like shards of glass. His body returned to its desperate state and his mind re-flushed with the acid that was reality.

"Morgan! Get me out of here! Take these things off of me!"

He struggled and pulled against the restraints, lifting and fighting harder than ever, breaking the skin around his wrists. Warm blood dripped down his arms and he continued to get more and more restless. Morgan took his strong hands and placed them on Hotch's shoulders, pinning him down on the bed frame. Since Hotch was weak from lack of solid food and water, he easily gave in, but still breathed heavy and struggled now and then.

"Hotch! Stop! Stop it! I'll get you out of here, but I need you to tell me where the unsub is."

Morgan tried to stay calm, and keep his boss calm, which unsurprisingly difficult to do.

"Get them off of me! Take them off! That is an order!"

He thrashed again, making Morgan dig his nails into the man's shoulder, struggling to maintain his grip. Hotch's eyes became wider and wider, no one knew what was wrong with him, not even Aaron himself.

"Where is Prentiss? Where is Francis? Tell me man!" Morgan shouted aggressively.

"The door right there. On the right. He shot her. He shot her Morgan! I let him shoot her!"

He relaxed and immediately felt horrible and disgusted with himself. Morgan released his grip and looked Hotch in the eye, unable to believe what he had just heard. He stuttered but managed to give Reid an order.

"Reid… open the door."

Reid drew his gun and jogged toward the door. He placed a shaky hand on the knob and gently turned it. The door opened with a long and droning creak. He poked his head in to the room, and slowly pulled it back out again. His face was stunned. His cloudy eyes, round and quivering, and his lips parted. He turned around and relaxed his arm holding the gun.

"She…"

**Oh cliffhangers… hehehe, I apologize for my evilness, but it is so much fun. Review =)**


	15. Hot Water

**Hey guys I know I have not updated for a looong time, don't yell at me, but writers block had hit, but I finally know where I'm going to go! Haha so here is the rescue from that devious cliffhanger… chapter 15!**

"She…"

"Reid?", Morgan moved toward the door.

"She's alive!" Reid shook off his moment of shock and it quickly morphed into excitability and relief.

Hotch responded with breathy and exhausted "What?"

Rossi, Reid and Morgan sprinted into the room and looked over what really had happened. Prentiss lay there on the floor unconscious again, and the unsub was next to her, dead. He had shot himself. Emily had a fresh spray of his blood strewn across her ghastly pale face. Morgan and Reid kneeled next to her, observing the terror she had endured. The heard the rattling of chains from the other room as Hotch began to struggle again.

"Rossi, call an ambulance! Now!"

Morgan darted to the unsub, grabbing a set of keys off of his belt loop and then moved to Hotch. He was pulling hard at the chains again, cutting his wrists deeper, making more blood drip down his arms.

"Hotch, calm down! I am going to get these off of you! Stay still!"

Morgan looked at the keys and used the one that was the most worn out. It miraculously worked and soon Hotch was free, the first time in days. He rolled off the bed frame, ignoring Morgan's orders to stay still. He stumbled into the other room, his head felt like a shaken soda can. It bubbled and churned and felt like it may burst. His knees were shaky, like he had rubber joints, and his eyesight flashed between clear, blurry, and sketchy like an old TV trying to find reception. He had finally made it next to Reid, who continued kneeling next to Emily. His knees buckled again as he lost his balance. He placed a bloody hand on Spencer's shoulder, which he was not expecting. They both crumbled to the floor, but Hotch managed to push himself up and next to Emily. He ran his shaky fingers through her dark hair, and his breath hitched as he fought back tears. He did not hold them back for long, and he began to sob, sputtering words that sounded like,

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Muffled sirens wailed from outside as Reid looked wide-eyed at the broken Hotch and Emily. Would things ever be the same? Would they recover? _Could_ they recover?

Two paramedics dressed in blue uniforms rushed in the room. Reid struggled up from the floor, moving out of the way. One of the men in blue lifted Hotch up from under the arms, ad he sobbed and struggled to stand. He released his knees as his head spun. He felt incredibly awkward as the unknown man struggled to get him on his feet, but all he could look at was the other man who was attempting to move Emily. He tried to get his arm under her knees, and his other arm under her head. She was like a broken doll, and Aaron's heart sank.

"I need two stretchers! And a neck brace! Hurry!"

The man carried Emily out of the shabby, mildew stained, basement, and Hotch stumbled after her, assisted by the other paramedic. His vision was still fuzzy, but the object of his affection was clear as crystal. She was glowing, despite all the bruises she sported, and that sweep of blood on her face.

When they reached the outside, the fresh air hit them like a cold slap on the face and Hotch's lungs seemed to burn. He coughed and fell to the ground. Morgan and Rossi ran up behind him, clutching his arms. He struggled to breathe as he watched Emily being placed on the stretcher and loaded into the ambulance.

"Emily!", He weezed.

"Hotch, she's going to be okay, she is going to be fine, I need you to relax, just calm down."

Morgan tried to comfort the obviously flustered man, as they pulled him up to the standing position. He needed to see her. He needed to make sure she woke up. He needed to make sure he saw those beautiful brown eyes again. The rest of the team was oblivious to the thoughts rushing through Hotch's mind. They all thought he was just in shock, but he was in love.

The ambulance containing Emily was beginning to close up as Reid walked out of the factory. Morgan shouted to him.

"Reid, go with Emily, we will meet you at the hospital."

Reid climbed into the ambulance and it flew away, with piercing sirens blaring, making Hotch's head reel again. He wanted to run after the vehicle, but he could barely stand. He wanted to scream 'I love you', but he could barely breathe. He then clutched his forehead with his hand, depositing a, mix of blood and sweat onto his skin, and the world went black. He secretly wished in his mind that he would wake up and this would all have been a dream. He also wished that if Emily was dead, he would not wake up at all.

…

Reid sat next to Emily in the ambulance. She was even worse than in the video, she was real, and right in front of him.

"Is she… alright?" He stumbled over his words.

The paramedic looked at him with discerning eyes.

"She will be. She is breathing somewhat regularly. We will make sure she is alright."

Reid was still shaky. He did not know what else to say, what else to do, he did not even know what else to think. He was confused, scared, and nervous all at the same time. What could she be thinking? What was the rest of the team thinking?

…

Morgan climbed into the back with Hotch and Rossi went into the passenger's seat. Rossi picked up his phone and called Strauss, something they should have done from the beginning.

"_Strauss."_

"Hello, Chief Strauss, I must inform you about some of the happening during this case."

"_What happened, Rossi?"_

"Agents Hotchner and Prentiss were kidnapped and-"

"_Excuse me! ? Why wasn't I notified sooner? Where are they now?"_

"They are on the way to the hospital. They both are in bad shape, but mostly agent Prentiss."

"_What is her condition?"_

"She was badly beaten and is unconscious at the moment."

"_What? Agent Rossi, why didn't you contact me, I am the Unit Chief! You need to tell me everything!"_

"I know, I know, we had it under control."

"_Well you obviously did not. Call me back when you get more information on Agent Prentiss and Agent Hotchner."_

She hung up before Rossi had a chance to say 'yes ma'am'. They were in some serious hot water.

**Uh-oh. Review please? Thank you all for reading, and 81 reviews? Are you serious! Thank you so much!**


	16. The Winner

**85 reviews! I am a happy girl! That is insane and you guys are the best, so here is chapter 16!**

Colors swirled around in black darkness. Orange, red, and blue darted from side to side as purple, yellow, and green whizzed around in circles. The colors then rearranged, mixing, blending, creating new colors, and soon formed a uniform oval shape. Details were added and soon the oval became a face. A familiar face. Hotch's face. He was so intriguing and mysterious, so firm and aggressive, but upon certain occasions, he was sensitive. Thunder rumbled in the background, and it became louder as the word became clear.

"I… I love… I love you. I love you."

It was meaningful and full of emotion. It was real.

Aaron's face soon was undoing itself. Colors, again, began to swirl, and the featureless oval was apparent again. Then the oval disappeared and all was black.

The colors returned and performed a different dance. This one was aggressive, hostile and, rioting. The blobs of color whipped around creating another oval, this one a bit more rounded. Details ensued and the face became the enemy. The unsub. Francis. The colors continued to whip, creating a new object, a gun. He was holding it, his finger on the trigger, and then he pulled it.

An earth shattering, ear spitting, sound shoot the world, and a bright, blinding light butchered the face of the unsub and the weapon, and soon all was white.

Am I dead? Is it over? Is it finally over?

…

Prentiss' eyes fluttered open, and the bright white light soon dulled to a sterile- smelling hospital room. Her body ached and her dark hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat. It was over, but she wasn't dead, she made it. She won.

The refreshing view of a familiar face walked up to the side of the hospital bed. A big hand was laid on Emily's hand, and a baby face, decorated with sandy hair and muddy eyes looked into her with an uplifting smile.

"Hey Reid."

Emily was surprised at the raggedness of her own voice. She tried to pivot her head to face her fellow agent, but shooting pain down her spine made that almost impossible. Reid moved closer.

"No, don't move."

Prentiss winced in pain.

"I'm fine."

"Prentiss, I am pretty naïve, but I know that you are most definitely not fine."

"Where… Where's Hotch?"

Emily struggled a bit, trying to sit up more, but Reid placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her.

"Hotch is fine, he's fine."

"Where is he? Where is everyone else?"

"Hotch is in another part of the hospital for minor injuries, Rossi's with him, and Morgan went with the police to drop off Francis."

"He's dead right?"

"Officially."

Prentiss breathed a small sigh of relief, and closed her eyes again.

"I saw him kill himself. I keep seeing it."

Reid looked at her with a concerned gaze, but could not think of anything to say to her.

"Um, do you need anything?"

Emily looked up at him, and thought about what she needed, _Hotch_.

"No, I'm fine Reid. Thanks. You look incredibly tired, go get some sleep."

"No, I'm fine, really."

He fought back a yawn as Prentiss eyed him, he then nodded and proceeded to a chair in the corner to take a nap, he sure needed one.

As Reid dozed in the corner and Prentiss couldn't help but start to fall asleep again. The painkillers were making her amazing drowsy. She looked over at the sleeping figure once again and then her eyes closed, hopefully she could have a peaceful rest this time.

…..

"I'm fine! Let me see her!"

Aaron Hotchner struggled to leave the small cramped room that he was being held in. A doctor wrapped his cut and bruised wrists with white gauze, as quickly as he possibly could, problem was, Aaron was not being so cooperative. Rossi leaned against the wall staring at his fellow agent with glaring eyes.

"You are going to see her. I promise, Reid is with her now, she is fine."

"I need to make sure."

"Do you..?"

"Do I what?"

"Have feelings for..?"

"No! No, when you are trapped with someone that long and you see then get hurt, and then you believe they were killed, until you find out that they were not, you learn to care about them. Plus, as leader of this team, I am expected to have a certain level of compassion for my team members. Prentiss is a fantastic addition to this team and I am allowed, no obligated, to be worried about her."

"Yeah, so how long did it take you to think of that one?"

Rossi's face filled with what only could be described as amusement, as the doctor finished putting gauze on Hotchner's wounded wrists.

"Can I go now?"

The doctor looked at the FBI agent nervously; Agent Hotchner was about a foot taller than him, slightly thicker, and much more intimidating.

"I-it would be better if you-"

"Thanks."

Aaron quickly left the small room, Rossi close behind, leaving the doctor a bit shaken up. Aaron made his way to the reception desk, and glared at a small blonde woman biting a pencil.

"Emily Prentiss. Agent Emily Prentiss."

"Only one person can be in the room at a time, and it seems that another agent is in there right now."

"I don't care, he's a skinny little kid. I can take him. What room?"

The blonde woman stared up at the daunting agent.

"308."

He ran off in the direction of the room. Rossi quickly nodded at the woman as a "thank you" and then chased Hotch again.

Hotch made it up to the room, out of breath, and he busted though the door. Reid jumped up, starteld at his sudden entrance. She was still sleeping. She was still breathing. But what would she say to him when she woke up? Would she hate him? Love him? Hotchner suddenly got butterflies in his stomach, and his cheeks warmed. Her beautiful brown eyes became visible again, and they caught each other in a stare that seemed to last forever, neither one knew what to do. The world stopped.

**Review!**


	17. Electric

**Here we go! Chapter 17 everyone! Yay!**

Four agents stood in the room, sensing awkwardness yet again. An electric feeling between Hotch and Prentiss made everyone feel colder.

"Goodbye Reid."

Hotchner did not break his gaze with Emily as he ordered the startled agent to leave. Reid looked at them for a moment, then, still overcome with sleep, stumbled out of the white room, looking at Rossi with a confused face. The door clicked shut, and finally, Aaron and Emily were alone. Emily broke the ringing silence first.

"Are you okay?"

Hotchner chuckled, his first smile in a long time. He sniffed, then looked down at the floor, acting like an awkward teenage boy. He sure felt like one. He popped his head up, realizing he was taking way to long to answer, and he was still smiling like a big idiot.

"Me? Are _you_ okay?"

She looked at him with purple and red bruise- surrounded eyes, then looked at the IV in her frail arm.

"I've had better days."

"I haven't."

Emily shot him a confused expression.

"What do you mean?"

"You're alive."

The stared at each other in complete silence again. Both hearts began to beat faster, and both minds swirled like blenders. The electricity between them sizzled and the room seemed to get even colder.

"I just have one question", she said looking down, fumbling with her fingers, they were scratched and bruised, just like the rest of her. She looked up at Hotch, who was waiting for the question.

"I don't know. When he was carrying me, I heard you say something…"

"What?"

"I don't know maybe I was hearing things. But you said you needed to tell me something, and so I asked you what it was, then you wouldn't tell me, so I started yelling and the door was closing and I was screaming, and I thought… I thought I heard you say…"

"Yeah?"

"That you loved me."

He didn't know what to do. Should he say yes? Should he say no? Should he finally admit it, or lie and tell her that she was right and she was just hearing things in the heat of the moment? Was this going to be that start of something great? Or would she tell him that she never wanted to see him again. He looked at her blazing eyes, her pale skin, her black and unbrushed hair and her lips. Her lips.

He stepped closer to the hospital bed and placed his hands on her shoulders, careful to be gentle, and in a spit second his lips met hers. Her eyes were open for a bit, startled by the rapidness of the kiss, but she did not fight back. The kiss deepened as she placed her hand on the side of his head, running her fingers through his dark hair. Her entire body ached but she did not mind, she was definitely not objecting to this. Both of their minds raced as they kissed over and over, releasing all of the pent up emotion that they had acquired. Emily finally realized why he was acting so weird toward her earlier, and realized that she most definitely felt the same. Aaron felt the frustration deep inside his core release, and he had finally felt at peace. Each meeting of the lips make a surge of energy rivet through their bodies, and their bodies heated for the first time in a while. The coldness in the room soon vanished and bursts of sweet warmth floated in the air. This was right. It was all right. It was like two jigsaw puzzle pieces fitting together. A woman and man coming together and realizing that they need each other like a human needs water.

Hotch pulled back and Emily let her hand fall to her lap. They looked at each other, breathing heavily with both passion and relief. Emily's cheeks were flushed with a refreshing rosy glow, her eyes were bright, and life had returned to her body. Hotch was similar, his eyes began to fill with tears, a rare sight, and his face was soft.

"I guess that's a yes?"

"Do you want me to do it again?"

She smiled and batted her long eyelashes. He pulled a chair over to her side and sat wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, then proceeded to grab hers. He looked deep into her and sucked in a sharp breath. He released the breath with words he needed to say right at this moment.

"I love you Emily Prentiss."

She looked back at him, seeing to emotion and the truthfulness in his still watery eyes. This was real.

"I love you too Aaron Hotchner."

**Wooh hoo! Finally! *happy dance*, okay it might seem like it's over, but it's not you still have the teams reaction and Strauss hanging on them. What do you guys think? Review!**


	18. Author's Note

**Hey all, I was pondering and I know I said that the story is not over yet, but I think I am going to end it here, and then make a sequel and continue there. I kind of fell in love with the ending there, and I will finish up the whole "telling the team" thing, and Strauss in another story, so watch out for it, I will post something soon. Thank you guys for over 100 reviews! That is really really amazing and way more than I expected for just putting up this little story! Here is a sneak peek of what is to come…**

**Hotch takes care of Prentiss as they both take a leave from the BAU**

**The team has to recover from the last case, and try to solve a new one with two less team members**

**Strauss threatens to fire the whole team due to their lack of communication with her during the last case**

**Things will get more serious between Hotch and Prentiss as they both recover**

**Hope it sounds good! Thank you all again for being wonderful readers 333 love you all!**


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